Matthew’s Gospel stands at the threshold between the Old and New Testaments, opening the New Testament canon yet firmly anchored in Israel’s Scriptures. It was written to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-promised Messiah, the Son of David and Son of Abraham whose coming fulfills the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). From the first verse Matthew highlights Jesus’ royal lineage, linking Him to the Abrahamic covenant’s blessing of all nations and to the Davidic promise of an enduring throne (Genesis 12:3; 2 Samuel 7:12–16). This Gospel especially addresses a Jewish audience living under the dispensation of the Law as it moved toward the dawning of the age of Grace, presenting Christ as the rightful King who offered His kingdom to Israel.
At the same time Matthew’s account speaks to all believers by unveiling the character of that kingdom and the heart of the King who fulfills every covenant promise of God. Its twenty-eight chapters span Jesus’ birth, His teaching and mighty works, His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, and His Great Commission that turns the message outward to all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). The book’s distinctive structure of extended teaching blocks—such as the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7) and the parables of the kingdom (chapter 13)—provides a catechism-like guide for discipleship that continues to instruct the Church in the present age of Grace while pointing forward to the still-future Messianic Kingdom.
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Setting and Covenant Framework
Matthew was most likely written by the apostle Matthew—also called Levi, a former tax collector whom Jesus called to follow Him (Matthew 9:9). Conservative scholarship dates the book to the late 50s or early 60s AD, before Jerusalem’s temple fell in AD 70, which explains its strong concern for Jewish customs and the continuing expectation of the kingdom’s near appearance. The original recipients were primarily Jewish believers and seekers scattered throughout the land of Israel and possibly in surrounding communities where synagogue life still shaped their identity. Politically they lived under Roman rule, yet spiritually they were under the Mosaic Law given at Sinai (Exodus 19–24) even as they awaited the promised Son of David who would deliver them from sin and reign in righteousness.
The Gospel opens with a genealogy that anchors Jesus in the dispensation of Promise through Abraham and in the royal covenant line of David (Matthew 1:1–17). These genealogical links affirm that the long story of God’s dealings—beginning with Abraham’s covenant of blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:1–3) and David’s covenant of an eternal throne (2 Samuel 7:12–16)—finds its rightful heir in Jesus. Matthew then recounts a birth narrative rich with fulfillment quotations from the prophets: the virgin conception predicted by Isaiah 7:14; the Bethlehem birthplace foretold in Micah 5:2; the flight to Egypt echoing Hosea 11:1. These early chapters reveal that the covenant-keeping God was moving His plan forward at the close of the era of Law toward the dawning of Grace in the Messiah.
Historically, Matthew writes at a hinge of the ages. Israel had endured centuries of foreign domination—Babylonian exile in 586 BC, return under Persian kings, later subjection to Greece and Rome—yet held fast to the promises given under the Law and the Prophets. John the Baptist appears in the wilderness calling the nation to repentance because “the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). This cry reflected Israel’s hope that the promised Messianic Kingdom foretold by Isaiah 9:6–7 and Daniel 7:13–14 was about to dawn. The stage was therefore set for Jesus to present Himself as the King who fulfills both the covenant under Law and the hope of the future Kingdom.
A historical vignette worth noting is Matthew’s frequent use of the title “Son of David,” which recurs from the blind men’s plea for mercy (Matthew 9:27) to the crowds hailing Jesus at His triumphal entry (Matthew 21:9). This title tied the earthly ministry of Christ to the covenant expectations rooted in Israel’s monarchy. By preserving this theme, Matthew shows that Jesus ministered within the dispensation of Law while inaugurating blessings that anticipate the still-coming Messianic Kingdom promised to David’s greater Son.
Storyline and Key Movements
The book unfolds in a deliberate narrative arc that reveals Jesus as the promised King and Teacher. Chapters 1–2 present His royal lineage and miraculous birth. Chapters 3–4 describe the preparatory ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus’ baptism that identifies Him publicly as God’s beloved Son (Matthew 3:17), and His victory over Satan’s temptations in the wilderness—showing that the King will succeed where Israel failed in the desert (Deuteronomy 8:2–3).
Chapters 5–7 record the Sermon on the Mount, a sustained body of teaching that portrays the righteousness required in God’s kingdom: inward purity of heart, sincere worship, love of enemies, and trust in the Father’s care. This discourse, framed by the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12), reflects the Law’s holy standard yet points beyond mere external observance to the heart-level transformation the coming New Covenant would accomplish (Jeremiah 31:33).
Chapters 8–10 showcase a series of miracles—healing the leper, calming the storm, casting out demons—that demonstrate the King’s authority over disease, nature, and evil spirits. Jesus then commissions the Twelve to proclaim that “the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 10:7), offering Israel a genuine invitation to receive her King. However, opposition grows: chapter 12 narrates the religious leaders’ rejection of Jesus, attributing His power to Satan (Matthew 12:24), which marks a turning point in the narrative.
In response to this rejection, chapter 13 gathers parables that explain the kingdom’s form during the present age—seed sown on varied soils, wheat growing alongside tares—revealing that the kingdom would not arrive in visible glory yet but would grow quietly as the gospel spread. Chapters 14–20 trace Jesus’ continued ministry in Galilee, His revelation to the disciples that He must suffer and rise again (Matthew 16:21), and increasing clashes with leaders who resisted His authority. The narrative then moves to the final week: His triumphal entry (chapter 21), cleansing of the temple, debates in Jerusalem, and the extended Olivet Discourse (chapters 24–25) forecasting future tribulation, His glorious return, and the judgment of the nations.
Chapters 26–28 recount the passion and resurrection: the Passover meal where Jesus institutes the new covenant in His blood (Matthew 26:28; Jeremiah 31:31), His prayer in Gethsemane, betrayal, trials, crucifixion, burial, and on the third day His bodily resurrection announced by the angel at the empty tomb (Matthew 28:6). The Gospel ends with the risen Christ commissioning His disciples to “make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20), turning the focus outward to the mission of the age of Grace.
Divine Purposes and Dispensational Thread
Matthew’s Gospel reveals God’s unified redemptive purpose moving through the administrations of Law and Grace toward the consummation in the future Messianic Kingdom. It presents Jesus as the fulfillment of every promise: the Seed of Abraham bringing blessing to all peoples (Genesis 22:18), the greater Moses delivering a new covenantal law of the heart (Deuteronomy 18:15; Matthew 5:17), and the Son of David destined to reign on an everlasting throne (Psalm 89:3–4).
Within the dispensation of Law Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Father, fulfilling its righteous demands so He could offer Himself as the spotless Lamb (John 1:29). At the cross He inaugurated the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31–34, thus opening the present age of Grace in which the Spirit indwells all who believe. This transition is captured when the temple veil was torn in two at His death (Matthew 27:51), signifying access to God through the finished work of the Messiah.
Progressive revelation is on display as Matthew frequently cites the prophets—“this was to fulfill what was spoken by …”—showing that each event in Jesus’ life advanced the storyline God had written beforehand (Matthew 1:22; 2:15; 2:23; 4:14–16). The Sermon on the Mount discloses kingdom ethics that will characterize life under the King’s direct reign, while also shaping disciples in the present age empowered by the Spirit (Romans 8:3–4).
A vital theological hinge appears in chapter 12, when Israel’s leaders reject Jesus as Messiah. From that point the offer of the visible Davidic Kingdom is postponed, not cancelled. Jesus begins speaking in parables (Matthew 13:10–17) to reveal that the kingdom’s growth will be mostly hidden until His return in glory. This pivot maintains the distinction between Israel as a nation with earthly covenant promises and the Church being gathered in the interim under the age of Grace (Matthew 16:18–19).
The kingdom-horizon paragraph emerges clearly in the Olivet Discourse (chapters 24–25) where Jesus predicts His future return “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). He assures that the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne and the nations will be gathered before Him for judgment (Matthew 25:31–32). These prophecies affirm that the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants await literal fulfillment when Christ establishes His righteous reign on earth, vindicating God’s faithfulness to Israel and blessing all nations.
This Gospel also highlights the doxological aim: from the magi’s worship of the child (Matthew 2:11) to the disciples’ worship of the risen Lord on the mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:17), God’s purpose is that all peoples glorify His Son. The Gospel thus ties the Law-age obedience of Israel’s Messiah, the present gathering of a multinational Church in the age of Grace, and the yet-future manifestation of the Kingdom into one cohesive plan in which God’s glory is displayed.
Covenant People and Their Response
The central human audience in Matthew’s Gospel is Israel living under the Law, called to repent because the kingdom of heaven had drawn near. Crowds marveled at Jesus’ authority (Matthew 7:28–29), many sick and oppressed sought His healing touch (Matthew 9:20–22), yet the nation’s leadership largely resisted Him, fearing loss of power and misunderstanding His mission (Matthew 21:45–46). This mixed response fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that some would hear but not understand (Isaiah 6:9–10; Matthew 13:14–15).
A faithful remnant, however, believed—such as the centurion who trusted Jesus’ word (Matthew 8:10), the Canaanite woman who persisted for her daughter’s healing (Matthew 15:28), and the women who followed Him even to the cross and the tomb (Matthew 27:55–56; 28:1–10). The disciples themselves displayed both devotion and weakness: Peter confessed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), yet later denied Him under pressure (Matthew 26:69–75). Their eventual restoration after the resurrection shows how grace triumphs over human frailty.
This section also reminds readers that covenant accountability is real. Jesus’ woes upon the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:13–36) warn against hypocrisy, while His parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33–43) foretells that the kingdom’s stewardship would be entrusted to a people producing its fruit—anticipating the Church age that follows Israel’s national rejection. Still, Paul affirms in Romans 11:25–29 that Israel’s calling and promises remain intact, awaiting future fulfillment when the Deliverer comes from Zion.
Enduring Message for Today’s Believers
For believers in the present age of Grace the Gospel of Matthew offers both assurance and challenge. It assures us that God keeps His word—every prophecy fulfilled in Christ’s first coming guarantees the completion of promises concerning His return (Matthew 24:35). It challenges us to live as disciples who embody the kingdom’s ethics now, as “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” (Matthew 5:13–16), bearing witness to the King’s character in a world still under the sway of sin.
This teaching equips the Church for mission: the risen Christ’s authority over heaven and earth undergirds the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). This call rests on the assurance of His abiding presence—“surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (v. 20)—even as we await His visible return to reign. Believers today thus live between the already-realized blessings of forgiveness and the not-yet-seen glory of the kingdom.
A pastoral case emerges from Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13), guiding disciples to seek the Father’s kingdom and righteousness in daily dependence. His repeated words “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 10:31; 14:27; 17:7) remind modern readers that obedience flourishes where faith in His presence drives out fear. The enduring message is therefore one of hope-filled discipleship: following the crucified and risen King who calls His people to humility, mercy, and watchful readiness for His return.
Conclusion
Matthew’s Gospel forms a majestic bridge between the covenants, showing that Jesus fulfills the Law and the Prophets, inaugurates the blessings of the New Covenant, and will yet return to establish the promised Davidic Kingdom in power and glory. It reassures believers that the God who guided history through Abraham, David, Moses, and the prophets has now acted decisively in His Son to redeem sinners and gather a people for Himself from all nations.
As disciples heed His call to follow, baptize, and teach the nations, they live in the tension of the present age of Grace—empowered by the Spirit to display kingdom character while longing for the day when “the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels” (Matthew 16:27). Matthew leaves us on that high mountain in Galilee where the risen Christ promises His continuing presence, sending His followers to the world with a mission anchored in fulfilled prophecy and animated by the hope of His return.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)
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